Church Matters: Retrieving the Great Tradition

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Chur ch Mat ter s : Ret r i ev i ng the Great Trad i t i on

What Is the Christian Year?, continued

baptism. The setting aside of a time of preparation for baptism goes back as early as the Didache and is attested to in Justin Martyr and detailed in the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus. Gradually the time of preparation was associated with the number forty: Moses spent forty years preparing for his mission; the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years; Jesus spent forty days in the wilder ness. In addition, the congregation joined the catechumenate in preparation, making it a special time for the whole church. Scriptural readings and sermons during this period highlight the ministry of Jesus, especially his teaching in parables and his miracles. Special emphasis is given to the growing conflict of Jesus with his opposition and the preparation he himself made for his death. The church joins Jesus in the recalling of this significant period of his life. The period of Lent was gradually marked off by Ash Wednesday at its beginning and Holy Week at its ending. The beginnings of Ash Wednesday lie in obscurity. It was in use by the fifth century, and the meaning of it was derived from the use of ashes, a penitential symbol originating in the Old Testament and used in the church as early as the second century to symbolize repentance. The formula used for the imposition of ashes is based on Genesis 3:19: “Remember man, that you are dust and into dust you shall return.” These words signal the beginning of a time dedicated to prayer, repentance, self examination, and renewal. It ends in the celebration of the Easter resurrection when the minister cries, “Christ is risen!” Before Easter, however, the church enacts the final week of Jesus. Although traces of a special emphasis during this week can be found in the third century, Holy Week was developed in the fourth century by the Christians of Jerusalem. The essential feature of Holy Week was to link the final events of Jesus’ life with the days and the places where they occurred. Jerusalem, of course, was the one place in the world where this could actually happen. For here were the very sites of his last days. As pilgrims poured into Jerusalem, the church of Jerusalem evolved this structure to provide them with a meaningful cycle of worship. The worship services that were developed during this time are still used today in some churches. The use of the ancient Maundy Thursday service, the Good Friday veneration of